Bears Win State Softball Title

Jay Barrett/KMXT
The Kodiak High School Bears are the small schools state softball champions. The team took the scenic route after losing their first game and being forced to come up through the losers’ bracket. In the end, though, they defeated the defending state champs twice in a row for the title.

Kodiak won the first game of the championship series 1-to-nothing against Ketchikan on a game-winning hit by Janelle Tirona in the bottom of the seventh inning. Then the Bears won 15-to-nothing in four innings in the deciding game.

KVOK’s Doug Letch has the call of the last out with pitcher Tianna (tie-anna) Allen facing Ketchikan’s star, Danielle Larson. The count is one ball and two strikes:

— (Softball 1 23 sec “… the Kodiak Bears are your champions.”)

The Bears got a bye in the first round of the tournament and lost their first game to the Kings 1-to-nothing. Kodiak then had to fight its way through the losers’ bracket by dismantling Eilson 24-to-2 in three innings on Friday, and then downing Soldotna and Sitka on Saturday morning before having to face Ketchikan again Saturday afternoon.

Because it was a double-elimination tournament, Kodiak had to beat the Kings twice in a row to win the championship. Kodiak won the first game 1-to-nothing, and of course the final game 15-to-nothing. In going 2-and-1 against Ketchikan during the tournament, Kodiak outscored them 16-to-1 and Allen gave up only three hits.

Tianna Allen, Addie Jones and Corissa Ferris were named to the All-Tournament Team, and the Bears also brought home the sportsmanship trophy.

It was another team of bears that won the large school softball title: the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears.

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